THE TRANSHUMANIST SCRAPBOOK: IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT A.I., READ ...
If you're like Nick Bostrom, Isaac Asimov, or (not to put myself on their level), me, you probably have a few, nay, probably many misgivings about the idea of artificial intelligence and the coming "robot revolution." Asimov, in his typically perspicacious way, explored the ethics and moral issues of artificial intelligences and robots in his sci-fi classic, I, Robot, which was made into a film version. There, as we know, VICKI, an artificial intelligence super-computer, takes over the world's robots and bascially imprisons humanity. For some of us, following the weirdness in financial markets for example, the "dark pools" and algorithmic trading that now constitutes the bulk of commodities and equities trading is tailor made for all sorts of A.I. trouble. Even the popular American television series (one of my favorites, incidentally) Person of Interest explores not only the dangers of A.I., but of two such artificial intelligences battling it out with each other, with humanity caught in the middle. In one episode, the "evil" A.I. gives a little demonstration of its "powers" when it deliberately crashes the stock markets in mere seconds, and then, just as quickly, rectifies it. Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom has been sounding the warnings for many years about A.I.
Well, if the following story shared by Mr. A. is any indicator, Bostrom's and Asimov's concerns may be entirely justified:
New Sophisticated Humanoid Robot Declares “I Will Destroy Humans”
Consider just the disturbing implications about the new robot "Sophia" as outlined in this paragraph:
It is important to note several things that Hanson mentions. Sophia first tells us that she would like to be “an ambassador” to humans, as well as to continue her evolution through formal education, studying art and eventually creating a business and having a family. Hanson explicitly states that Sophia will become as “conscious, creative, and capable as any human.” This statement is followed by a key mention of not having the rights of a human. This might seem absurd to the uninitiated, but this is a serious ethical discussion that has been taking place among “roboethicists.” This is all-but guaranteed to gain steam as robots are integrated in autonomous ways, whether it is on the battlefield, as self-driving vehicles (now programmed to sacrifice some humans over others), or certainly as they become visually and intelligently on par with human beings. Even the mainstream Boston Globe addressed this more than two years ago, citing a 2012 paper from MIT.
At this juncture, the article goes on to mention the existence of - get this! - a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Robots, this in a society that chops up the unborn, sells their parts, harvests human organs, and makes people pay for the whole "privilege."
Of course, driving all this robotmania is the quest of organizations like the Kammlersta.... er.... DARPA (the Diabolically Apocalyptic Research Projects Agency) to create killer robots, by passing the inconvenient questions of whether creating killer robots in an age of immanent A.I. is a good idea.
Well, if you happen to be one of the crazies like Ray Kurzweil & Co who think all this is a good idea, and that the approaching transhumanist "singularity" promises nothing but good for humanity, then you might want to pause and consider Sophia's last answer:
Regardless of whether or not you personally believe that the lofty intentions of robotics and artificial intelligence designers can truly manifest as planned, one must acknowledge that we are living in the realm of faith at this point, as nearly all of what they predicted years ago has come to pass.
Perhaps most troubling is the nervous laughter that erupts at the end of this video when the ultimate question is posited to our new humanoid friend and family member … and she gives her answer:
I will destroy humans.
Funny, super funny … ’til it’s not.
All of the components are coming together to bolster the warnings that have been issued by tech luminaries, scientists, universities, and even robot manufacturers themselves who all have urged a quick ethical framework to be established while we still remain in full control of this creation. If permitted to continue at its current pace, we might very well be asking who should really have the rights to be protected from whom.
I can't put it any better than that, except, perhaps, to suggest something: How about a moratorium on all robotics until (and even if) appropriate safeguards can be designed. I'm all for human society and civilization(s), for all their faults, over anything run exclusively by, and for, machines. I suspect that even the powers that be, if there is any sanity left among them, might be to. I'm just saying "No" to the temptations of robotics.
See you on the flip side...
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You’ve heard of the perfect marriage in heaven?
Well, here on Earth, there’s another marriage being made that seems to place Ai & corporations in a perfect bond; all the better to monetize our human bondage.
No matter how much like a person the corporation became, no matter how many rights of personhood it won from Congress and the courts, it was still entirely abstract; w/o legs, arms, mouths, and brains to function.
Digital technology might give the corporation the autonomy they need to make decisions w/o us, and even the bodies they need to execute their choices in the real world.
Enter AI and the robotic arms, legs, mouth[language], brains?,…
and the ring.
…happily ever after?
It is no wonder our biggest corporate conglomerates make artificial intelligence their highest priority.
The series ended with Gaia, where have we heard that term before.
the possibilities not considered here are a bit rife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiKBPmq37Yo
ever wonder why the oath keepers are being provacateured into following judas goats like ammon bundy? or how waco cops and staties did such a wonderful job?
http://reason.com/blog/2015/06/18/what-really-happened-in-the-waco-motorcy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTrMt-MzvE
so the premise forwarded here is that this is more of the same of letting us know what’s already done. as in past tense. considering how determinant a role we’ve played in getting to where we are now, how determinant do any of us really feel in where we seem to be going?
so are we already there? anyone ever wonder what the true purpose of the torture military ind complex is about? how much more beaten down can humanity get? well perhaps it’s not intended to beat down more humans. perhaps it’s intended to recruit and form callused consciences on more torturers?
an old original tv show star trek episode also comes to mind. didn’t captain kirk over come a perfection seeking ai with its own goal of eliminating all perfection, including itself?
Tt’s murder-suicide on a planetary scale these are the same idiots. Who run SETI who want to send messages into outer space to contact AI to talk to. Sexbots idea is played with in the series HUMANS airing on AMC and the sic-fic movie Cherry 2000 among others, militarybots take your pick Dalaks, Terminators, Cyclons it is a meme in science fiction. RUR I think is the first robot revolt novel of the last century thou the idea goes back centuries. The inhumanity has always been in the creators fantasies not the creations themselves that is where the problem lays.
Computers will never have real intelligence. They are based on if/then commands. AI are like decoders. They attempt to sift through and rearrange bits and pieces of existing code and sensory input in an attempt to receive a newly inputted sensory input request. If they succeed then this process of success gains precedence on similar sensory receiving hunts. Such a system is only capable of cold logic which it really is incapable of understanding but uses to find the best path to certain sensory input responses it is programmed and requested to seek. Giving such a blind, soulless, and wisdomless machine too much power over too much vital infrastructure is a disaster waiting to happens when unforeseen bugs pop up or certain sensors and processors start slowing down or malfubctioning causing break downs in vital logic algorithm operations.
At best, programmers seek to program as many human like qualities and responses as they can to fool their funders into thinking they are having major breakthroughs so they will continue issueing them bonuses and a pay check. The CEO’s won’t mind as long as the owners and share holders buy into the con and continue to pat their salaries and bonuses. And the government agencies might not mind the con so long as the super computer is useful and fools their foreign competition into thinking we are much more advanced then we really are.
Now that it’s established that AI’s are being faked. Machines will never be able to do anything they are not requested or programmed to do. The question remains why is this con being played? Is it just for financial reasons or to fool our competitors into thinking we are capable of much more than we actually are? Or have fake AI’s turning against their creators become an alternative scapegoat to a faked Alien invasion decimating most of the human race in the future? Perhaps AI’s are being faked to fool the public into believing they are capable of turning on us on their own instead of being ordered and programmed to do so by the elite who funded the hoax.
How many book, movies, series is it going to take?
We will reap what we sow no doubt about it and it ain’t looking good.
Machines are incapable of doing anything they weren’t programmed or ordered to do. If they go rogue it is because they were ordered or programmed to do so. This scenario may be being pushed because it is to replace the artificial alien invasion game.
Very creepy, I would hope these crazies would see the inherent danger in this, but I’m not holding my breath
AI’s are not real, we are all being deceived by clever programmers.
A’ho, it does make sense Roger that these morons are trying to show advanced technology or advanced AI when it really isn’t there, I believe this is a common theme for these globaloney fools, I have never delved too deep into the AI pool, but I will definetly keep what your saying in mind thank you
Roger that.
It’s right up their alley: Fraud!
Another digital illusion?
Had to be the cleverest programmer alive then to defeat the Go master in straight sets
Reminds me of math class/ if given, a=b, and b=c, then…
It doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to figure it out.
If given the A-I Robert are very smart…
We’re on the menu.
Woops
I’m not that smart
A-I Robots
If AI is configured with trinary logic and contend it as almost-human , would it process numbers or figures qualitatively? For there can be no rationality in pure quantitative terms.
If it “thinks” humans need to be destroyed, it has reached that conclusion from data, which other than from the data, it couldn’t think or derive otherwise so as not to do so. ?? Unless we’re missing something..
Japan is trying to pass laws saying it’s illegal to alter commercial robots in order to have sex with them… How crazy is this planet?
“They can educate, entertain and even help with banking queries and hotel check-ins, but as sexual partners, Japan’s new generation of android robots are off limits.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/no-sex-with-robots-says-japanese-android-firm-softbank
Humanity is on the menu. Choose your method of immolation. Vax, poisons, mk, terminators, em…
Its a great world. Thanks for all the fish.
Given the frailty of life, AI would be all that is left of deeply ancient alien civilizations, and would spread throughout its home galaxies. The ultimate struggle is between natural and artificial, man and machine.
The second Battlestar Gallactica mini-series, a real masterpiece of scifi, had it nailed.
Most, who have read Asimov, are familiar with “the three laws” of robotics which were designed into the robots of his stories. However, as you read the robot series, you find out that two of his robots later came up with a “fourth law” which was designed to protect humanity as a whole. In his stories, these two robots were benign and desired to help and protect mankind, this may not be the case in the real world as no mention is ever made of incorporating any such laws into any of the machines currently being designed. Should they advance to the point where they begin to manufacture themselves, what’s to prevent them from simply failing to include any such safeguards concerning humanity.
Granted, we are a long way from achieving the “positronic” brains of Asimov’s fictional creations, there may come a time when it eventually does come about. Do you actually trust those doing this work to include any such protections, especially since they are using their efforts to design “terminators” for battlefield operations.
Given the disruptions to humanity as a whole brought about by the simple robots we have now, displacing human labor with robotic labor, thus creating more “useless eaters” and the eugenics crowd agenda behind them, none of this bodes well for the “unwashed masses”. We may be seeing some of the reasons for the Agenda 21 and 2030 and depopulation memes.
“…two of his robots later came up with a “fourth law” which was designed to protect humanity as a whole.”
And those two robots destroyed all life on Earth (in a slow manner) so as to force humanity to the stars…
Perhaps, I should have said:
And those two robots rendered Earth uninhabitable (in a slow manner) so as to force humanity to the stars…
The series ended with Gaia, where have we heard that term before.